Fractured carbonate reservoirs and fluid flow

In the world, about 50% of natural geofluids (i.e. mineral and hydrothermal waters, geothermic fluids and hydrocarbons) reservoirs are hosted in carbonates. Unlike other reservoir rocks, carbonates are constituted by a considerable variety of lithotypes where porosity and permeability can vary in unpredictable ways. Moreover, both storage and migration of geofluids in carbonates are influenced by the “fracturing” state of the rocky masses. The session aims at linking different scientific competences concerning: (i) the study of the sedimentological and diagenetic characteristics of the carbonate rocks, with particular emphasis to the dolomitization process; ii) the definition of the deformation mechanisms affecting different typology of carbonate rocks, particularly focusing on the development of different structural components of fault zones; iii) building 3D reservoir-analog models for massive and stratified carbonates to describe the fluid-flows within discrete fracture systems.